Tag: @MarcoReal; Bodegas Marco Real; Bodegas Belasco de Baquedano; Grupo La navarra

GRUPO LA NAVARRA

BODEGAS: MARCO REAL; SEÑORÍO DE ANDIÓN;

VIÑEDOS DE VILLAESTER; & BELASCO DE BAQUEDANO!

It’s not just the wines made by Grupo Navarra that provide a bit of a mouthful. If you try and say all the names of the bodegas under their control as well as the areas of production where they are placed, you’ll find you’ll need a long breath!

 

You might remember my article, written way back in July 2013, which alluded to the iceberg beneath its tip, the Homenaje range of wines, produced by Bodegas Marco Real, DO Navarra? Well, although a major player within the group, Bodegas Marco Real is only one, of an impressive group of bodegas which make wine in various different locations in Spain, as well as the Mendoza region of Argentina.

 

Subsequent Cork Talks have told of some of those areas and several of those wines. I’ve not tasted a poor one yet, and today’s final article is about the remainder. I urge you to look out for wines made by these bodegas, you’ll not be disappointed!

 

The dry climate and brown stone-strewn soils on the high plains above the River Duero, in which Verdejo, Viura and more recently Sauvignon Blanc vines thrive, give DO Rueda wines an intriguing terroir ‘feel’. Viña del Sopié wines, which make use of all three varieties, is the latest range in the La Navarra portfolio of wines.

 

There’s no doubt in my mind that Viña del Sopié wines are making a contribution to the fascinating fact that one in three bottles of wine sold in Spain is from Rueda! Their Verdejo/Viura blend is typically fresh with citrus, green pepper and kiwi fruit aromas. My favourite was their Viña del Sopié Verdejo 100% where fennel notes are added to the above with some gooseberry and thyme flavour can also be found.

 

Inaugurated just ten years ago and located adjacent to Bodegas Marco Real, the wines of Señorío de Andión have a different flavour and style to those of their sister bodega. The 2008 makes use of hand harvested Tempranillo, Cabernet, Merlot and Graciano which enjoy fifteen months in French oak.

 

The resulting wine is full and flavoursome with notable elegance and complexity. Its dark colour promises some black cherry flavours which combine nicely with Cabernet blackcurrant and Merlot plum and a slightly ephemeral Tempranillo inspired loganberry. There’s a little bay leaf and earthiness on the finish, which is quite long. Lovely wine.

 

The Señorío de Andión Moscatel dessert wine was a revelation served with Foie Gras over Christmas and must go down as one of the best dessert wines of the year! The grapes are late harvest, staying on the vines until they have reached a high sugar level, but retaining the necessary acidity.

After fermentation the wine is left on its lees with regular battonage (stirring) and then run off into French oak until the wine maker declares it is ready for bottling. It then spends time in bottle before being released. You’ll find delicious honeyed nuts on the nose and palate, with orange skin, raisins, sugared dried fruits and a hint of mountain herbs. Super!

 

Let’s now talk Rioja – yes, Grupo La Navarra makes wine in Spain’s most famous area too. Domus Dei Crianza 2008 is a dark garnet colour with rich cherry and red berries bound together with oaky vanilla notes from its ageing in French and American oak. It lingers on the palate, eventually fading with a note of sweet tannin.

 

In some ways the Domus Dei 2007 Reserva is more of the same – but there’s an extra depth and complexity to this wine which aged for three years, half in oak and half in bottle before its release. Sweet tannin again with some refreshing acidity and still bold fruit bound together with understated and yet influential oak notes – vanilla and some coffee and toffee too.

 

The Arvutada from Viñedos de Villaester (named after Europe’s largest and heaviest bird whose picture adorns the label) has Cabernet Sauvignon punching above its Tempranillo bedfellow’s weight. There’s a touch of tar and liquorice noted within the upfront blackcurrant fruit and this VdlT Castilla y León wine is one of those wines that emphasise again the fact that not all top Spanish wine is DO wine!

 

Finally, in terms of this article, but in terms of my drinking wines from the La Navarra Group, there is the Taurus range from the Villaester winery in DO Toro. Their crianza 2007 is made from Tinta de Toro grapes (aka Tempranillo!) which were hand harvested and after fermentation the resulting deeply coloured wine was aged in oak for six months. Look out for the dark cherry fruit and earthy feel of the wine. Another success from this large group of bodegas!

 

PS Just had a cancellation for the wine orientated Short Break in the mountains above Granada, Jerez and Seville – please see advert on this page. Two places left!

 

Contact Colin: colin@colinharknessonwine.com & www.colinharknessonwine.com and you can follow Colin on Twitter: @colinonwine

BODEGAS MARCO REAL, GRUPO LA NAVARRA

AND THE ARGENTINEAN CONNECTION!

 

Scratch the surface of a bottle of the consistently good, entry level wine, Homenaje and it’s surprising what you’ll see behind the emblematic label of one of the Costas’ best loved house style wines!

 

Bodegas Marco Real’s founder, Antonio Catalan, who started the bodega initially to provide good wines for his hotel chain, NH Hotels, was happy to accept a major shareholding bid from, Juan Ignacio Velasco, owner of Navarra Distillieries – with a view to expanding the wine business. And How!

 

Bodegas Marco Real is now part of the La Navarra Group which also owns bodegas in DO Toro, DO Rueda and in Mendoza, Argentina. My third article about this iceberg of a ‘bodega’, is all about the super wines produced in the South American arm of the business.

 

With a view to warming up a chilly evening spent huddled around the log fire I opened Swinto Old Vine Malbec 2009 whose aroma almost burst from the bottle as the cork was pulled! The blackberry and black cherry aromas mingled perfectly with the log-fired atmosphere and I knew straight away that we were about to taste an exceptional wine!

 

The wine is made from centenarian Malbec vines, planted in 1910, at an altitude of just over 1,000 metres above sea level. Naturally such vines have a very low yield, but the grapes are super-rich, and because of the altitude, and therefore the dramatic change between day and night time temperatures, the resulting wine has perfect acidity and is deeply coloured.

 

New French, Allier, oak is used for malolactic fermentation and for a further fifteen months of ageing. It’s a multi-layered wine with the oak adding some integrated vanilla and black coffee notes to the rich tannin and opulent, dark fruit. On the palate it’s persistent with a slight dark chocolate liqueur finish. It has power and elegance in equal measure and is an excellent advert for Malbec!

 

Bodegas Belasco de Baquedano (part of the group) is responsible for crafting this super wine, along with others to follow. They aren’t readily available in Spain, unfortunately, but I’m told that they are in the UK – so next time you’re back . . . !

 

With the majestic Andes as a gloriously impressive backdrop the vineyards of Luján de Cuyo are perfectly placed at 1020 metres above sea level. And it’s these Malbec vines that provide the grapes for the intensely fragranced Moncagua 2011 with its abundance of juicy fruit. It’s pure Malbec without oak ageing and tells of what the variety has to offer as well as incorporating some of the terroir in which it’s grown.

 

From the same stable Llama Roble 2012 (with an image of the famous indigenous animal!) is a semi-crianza version of the above. Structured with a brilliant dark red colour the wine is designed to show off Malbec’s rich fruit but underpinned with a slight oak presence, which adds depth of flavour and some complexity. There’s also an earthy herbal element to this wine, with bay leaf and a slight black pepper note mixing harmoniously with the dark red blackberry and blueberry fruit.

 

Rosa, Bodegas Belasco de Baquedano’s rosado wine is also made with Malbec and has the colour, aroma and flavour of loganberries! It’s fresh, though quite full, very fruity (add raspberry and red currant to the mix!) with a dry finish. Excellent aperitif wine but with sufficient body to accompany light meat, fish and shellfish – would be perfect with paella!

 

Rosa Brut Nature is a super sparkler, made again with Malbec, but with a less intense rose colour. Cherry, a touch of citrus, and an inkling of pale fleshed plums are the fruity aromas that blend so well with typical patisserie notes common to sparkling wines. Perfectly dry and very refreshing.

 

The intensity, firstly of aroma and subsequently of flavour when I first sniffed and tasted Rosa Torrontés made be do a double-take. What is this wine? Well there’s not much 100% Torrontés white wine available in Spain, though it’s often used in blends in Galicia for example. But if it were capable of achieving such wonderful aromas and tastes as in this Argentinean example, I’m sure there would be more.

 

Wonderful apricot fragrance with peach and some distant mango this ever-so dry wine is intensely fruity and guaranteed to please as the promise on the nose is equalled on the palate, with a lasting fruit driven finish that had me reaching for the bottle to top up my paltry tasting sample! Excellent!

 

Finally, there’s a lot of UK wine media talk about Malbec at the moment, but I’ve not yet read anything about the dessert wine style of late harvest Malbec Ice Wine, as exemplified perfectly by Antracita 2007, whose minimalist back label, simply lets the wine do the talking!

 

Frozen grapes are harvested late in the cycle. After fermentation of the rich juice the wine is aged for two years in new French oak. The result is, well the best red dessert wine I’ve tasted! You’ll find honeyed figs and raisons with roasted nuts, toffee and deliciously sweet damsons – all with a fresh acidity provided by the altitude of the vineyard. Exquisite!